Burford Orchestra began life as the Burney String Quartet (Burford and Witney), and was initially an experiment to see if sufficient players could be attracted to form an orchestra. Two of the founder members were Robin Gilbert, then deputy head of Burford Grammar School, and Eric Reavley, father of the proprietor of Reavley’s Pharmacy in Burford until recently.
The first concert was given on May 8th 1954 in the Old Assembly Hall of the Grammar School, and comprised a programme of 17th and 18th century chamber music – very different to the orchestra’s current repertoire.
One of the first conductors was Charles Farncombe, a London conductor who founded the Handel Operatic Society. His involvement allowed the orchestra to attract distinguished soloists to perform, including Osian Ellis (harp), Alan Civil (horn), Leon Goossens (oboe) and the bass Owen Brannigan. Newspaper reports of the time rave about the orchestra’s performances, which regularly attracted audiences of over 300!
Since those early days, the orchestra has continued to stay true to its amateur and community roots – it is run by a volunteer committee and over the years has received support from several sources, notably Burford School, Oxfordshire County Council, the National Federation of Music Societies, the Southern Arts Council and West Oxfordshire District Council.
The challenges Burford Orchestra has faced in its 70-year history continue – attracting musicians, finding repertoire that is attractive to players and audience, financial issues and the competition for audience from other forms of entertainment. Nevertheless, it is significant that a venture that began as an experiment between 4 musicians has stood the test of time and continues today in a very different world.
